Wall Ball Workout Fundamentals and Plan
Wall ball is fun! At the same time, hitting the wall should be done with a purpose, and you should have a good routine planned out with a clear objective.
The first step is to find a suitable wall. Usually this is not in the house or on the house, and more than one lacrosse player has been scolded for throwing against a school wall that has a class or a music session on the other side. Brick or cinderblock gymnasium walls work great, again not usually inside to avoid leaving lacrosse ball marks on the floor. Be mindful of windows or other nearby breakables and consider where the ball will go if you miss the catch. Some places have designated lacrosse walls, and tennis practice walls are usually good because they have plenty of room for running and reacting side-to-side when you get to advanced stages of wall ball. The idea is to be smart ahead of time to have the most freedom for learning and the best wall ball session possible.
Once in a good place, start with the basics of how you should be hitting the wall:
Focus on footwork: You are not stationary during live play, therefore you should not be when you throw the ball or catch a pass at the wall. Try to have your feet aligned in the same way you would in the course of live play. When the stick is in your right hand, keep your left foot forward and your right foot back. You want to build that muscle memory.
Keep your hands high: Make sure your hands stay up around your chest level when catching and throwing. This hones your muscle memory, which allows you to have speed and accuracy when you throw the lacrosse ball in live play.
Utilize the upper body: When throwing, turn your hips and shoulders and use your upper body. When catching, lean the stick back a little and give the ball a nice cushion much like you would if your were catching an egg. Turn your back hip away from the ball as it approaches and keep your hands up high.
Until you start running and maneuvering during wall ball stand no more than 10 feet away from the wall and put some velocity on your throws. You do not want to get in the habit of making soft passes so practice bouncing it sharply off the wall and reacting quickly to the higher speed.
Wall Ball Drills
Beginners should focus primarily on the basics, like throwing and catching with both hands. You should release the ball in a straight overhand motion from the box area next to your head, and catch the ball in the same spot you released it from.
To develop accuracy, pick a spot on the wall like a marking or a particular brick and see how many times you can hit it with the ball. In some places it is ok to put a piece of tape or a chalk mark, or even to create a target box with tape or chalk or paint.
An effective and easy wall ball routine for a new player looks something like this:
Stand about six or seven feet away from the wall.
Throw and catch with your right hand 100 times.
Throw and catch with your left hand 100 times.
Switch hands for 100 repetitions as follows: Throw right, catch right, switch hands, throw left, and then catch left.
The above routine should take about 30 minutes to complete. You will notice the results very quickly if you practice three or four times per week.
A more intermediate wall ball routine includes the following:
Throw with your right hand and catch with your right hand 100 times.
Throw with your left hand and catch with your left hand for 100 repetitions.
Alternate hands for 100 repetitions.
Move horizontally with shuffle steps along the wall as you throw and catch with the outside hand for 100 repetitions. Keep your feet moving as you throw and catch the ball.
Advanced players can add one-armed throwing and catching, both left and right.
Players should also work on changing the angle at which they throw and catch the ball while playing wall ball. This should be both in the vertical and horizontal plane; vertically so that the ball hits higher and lower off the wall, and horizontally (side-to-side) so a player can practice leading a pass and running while making a catch. Everything changes when running while catching and throwing and this can be practiced at the wall. Some shooting skills can be incorporated into the routine, too.
To go even deeper, instead of throwing the ball at the wall and having it come back to your stick on the fly, work on bouncing the ball off the ground. Aim for a spot about a foot or two in front of the wall, bounce the ball off the ground, and snag it with your stick as it comes back. You can throw a fake shot up high after you catch the rebound and then repeat the low bounce into the wall. This drill improves your ability to finish around the goal, as bounce shots and fakes are huge weapons in lacrosse that not all players are able to properly utilize.
A coach should almost always instruct players to practice throwing overhand, for accuracy and to develop good form as well as to avoid injuries that come with bad technique, however there are times in games when a quarter-arm, side-arm, under-arm, or behind-the-back shot or pass are the right move for the moment. Trying these things out for the first time in a game or team practice setting can be costly, but players can practice the different techniques at the wall where the only person forced to use their time to chase a ball for an inaccurate throw is themself! The wall is a patient and equalizing instructor that allows for a lot of quick learning across all types of throwing and catching skills, but still, a good wall ball routine will invariably start with overhand technique.
A little bit everyday.
Rather than putting in an hour and then leaving your stick for the week it is much better to put in 15 minutes every day. That consistency will give you the muscle memory you need. While you may not immediately notice the results after one or two practices, dedication and sticking to it makes you a much better player in the long run. Commit yourself to getting out there as much as possible and putting in hard work. Wall ball only requires one player so you have no excuse to avoid playing, and if you put in the hard work your skills will greatly improve.
